Bonus Episode: The Most Boring Podcast Ever (Or, What to Do With Yourself During COVID-19) with Erin Westgate, PhD

Speaking of Psychology

Kim Mills

Health & Fitness, Life Sciences, Science, Mental Health

4.3 • 781 Ratings

🗓️ 15 April 2020

⏱️ 40 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The first confirmed case of COVID-19 in the U.S. was identified in January. By March, most of us had been strongly advised – if not ordered -- to keep at least 6 feet away from other people in public and pretty much to confine ourselves to our homes. Since many of our regular activities and pastimes are now off-limits, what are we doing to fill the time? Are we bored yet? Are if we are bored, is that a problem? Dr. Erin Westgate, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Florida, studies boredom, procrastination and why some thoughts are more engaging than others. She offers some thoughts on how to use this downtime constructively and why not all procrastination is bad. Join us online August 6-8 for APA 2020 Virtual. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:31.8	The first confirmed case of COVID-19 in the US was identified in January.
0:37.4	By March, most of us had been strongly
0:39.6	advised, if not ordered, to keep at least six feet away from other people in public and pretty
0:44.6	much to confine ourselves to our homes. As a result, many of us are unable to visit friends or family.
0:50.8	We can't go out to a movie, to the gym, or out to dinner. In short, the coronavirus has
0:56.1	radically curtailed the way many of us live. So are we bored yet? And if we are bored, is that a
1:02.1	problem? Is boredom bad? Welcome to Speaking of Psychology, the flagship podcast of the American
1:07.3	Psychological Association that explores the links between psychology and everyday life.
1:12.3	I'm Kim Mills. What does psychology tell us about boredom? And why should we care? Is boredom even a
1:19.6	legitimate area for psychologists to study? What can we do during these strange times to keep from being
1:25.3	bored? Or to use our boredom productively.
1:28.7	Our guest today is Dr. Aaron Westgate, an assistant professor of psychology at the University
1:33.5	of Florida, where she studies boredom, interest, and why some thoughts are more engaging than others.
1:39.5	Much of her research has been on the conditions under which people enjoy or do not enjoy their
1:44.0	own thoughts.
	...

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